Baler.



A H. H. RODGERS BALER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 24. I918. 1,293,261 a Patented Feb. 4, 1919.

. 2 SHEETS-SHEEI' I.

H. H. RODGERS.

BALER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 24.1918.

Patented Feb. 4, 1919.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2 avwe/wtoz flaw/715K Fadyers Mil/ares Mom 1 e11 HARRY H. RODGERS, 0F ALTON, ILLINOIS.

' BALER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 24, 1918. Serial N 0. 246,594.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY H. RoneERs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Alton, in the county of Madison and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Balers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to presses, and more especially to those used for baling purposes and employing a ratchet and grapple bar; and the object of the same is toconstruct a one-man baling press whose power is an ordinary rail jack. However I do not wish to be limited as to what type of jack is employed so long as it contains the essential features set forth below.

Other objects are to-produce means for retracting the plunger, for actuating said means automatically at the extreme of the stroke of said plunger or by hand at any time, and for signaling when a new follower board should be inserted.

Details are set forth below, and reference is made to the drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of this baler and i Fig. 2 a longitudinal section,

Fig. 3 is a right end elevation and Fig. 4 a side elevation of one of the follower boards. a

The body 1 of this baler isslatted longitudinally as usual, and has side posts 2 at intervals connected by through bolts 3 and 4; at top and bottom as seen in Fig. 3, or beams 5 and sills 6 connected by upright bolts 7 as seen more particularly at both sides of the hopper 10. The follower board is indicated at 8 and is grooved on both sides at 9 in alinement with the slots between the slats as seen in Fig. 2, so that the baling wire can be inserted after the bale has been compressed.

The plunger is indicated at 11, and its stem 12 is slidably mounted through a guide 13 spaced to the rear of the hopper 10 a sufficient distance to permit the plunger to be retracted well behind the hopper for receiving a new charge. A strap or plate is secured across the top of the body, and to such plate is hinged at 15 a board constituting a signal 16, the hinge carrying an L- shaped bracket 17 depending through a slot in the top of the body and adapted to be hit by a pin 18 which is pivoted at 19 in the upper edge of the plunger board 8 so as to give it some lateral latitude of motion and used by track workers on railroads.

by hand or otherwise.

prevent it from becoming stuck or bound in the slot in the top of the body. When the follower board is moved along by pressure within the body, its pin eventually strikes the bracket 17 and throws the signal 16 upward as seen at the right of Fig. 2; and, according as the plate 14 is set, the size of the bale is regulated because this signal is given earlier or later as will be clearly understood. Therefore the single operator need not leave the operating mechanism yet to be described, until he sees the signal board 16 rise; and in case he does not see it rise, as soon as the pin 18 has passed under the bracket 17, the board falls and gives him an audible signal. He then knows that his bale has been completed, and it is time to retract the plunger and insert another follower board and make a new bale, wiring the compressed bale so that it may be taken out the rearend of the body in a manner well understood.

For the power mechanism I use an ordinary jack indicated broadly by the letter J and preferably that type of jack which is I do not wish to be limited strictly to the type of jack employed, except that it should have a base 20, a standard 21, a ratchet bar 22 movable therein and provided with teeth 23 along one edge and a head 24 as well as a foot 25; the teeth should be engaged by a Patented Feb. 4, 1919..

pawl 26, and a handle or lever 27 should be pivoted in the standard and should actuate said pawl. The head 24 will be connected with the stem 12 of the plunger by any suitable means such as the clips shown at 28 which may well be bolted at 29 to the wooden stem.

For retracting the plunger and its stem I employ a spring 30 connected at 31 with the base of the framework, and a rope or cable 32 leads from the other'end of the spring over a pulley 33 and is. attached to the head 24- or directly to the stem 12. A trip 34. is carried by the standard 21 of the jack J and engages the teeth 23 to prevent a retro grade movement of the rack bar, and this trip therefore prevents the action of the retracting spring 30 until the trip is actuated A lever 35 is connected at one end with the trip, pivoted between its ends at 36, and weighted at its rear end as at 37, and this lever stands in the path of the foot 25 on the rack bar of the jack. When now the lever 27 has been reciprocated to project the rack bar to about invention.

the point shown in Fig. 2, the foottraveling past the pivot 36 of the trip-lever 35, actuates the latter and the trip 34 disengages the pawls from the teeth 23 of the ratchet bar; and therefore the spring 30 is permitted to act, and the stem and plunger are retracted for a new charge.

The jack may be mounted in any appropriate way within the framework, but I prefer to set its base 20 within a lip 40 rising from the bottom ll of the frame and against a block 42 as seen at the left of Fig. 2; and for strengthening purposes I prefer to employ straps 43 secured along the sides of the frame work and passing around the end piece l i behind the block 42, as well illustrated in Fig. 1. It is of course well known that these track jacks have great power, and therefore the services of but a single man will be sufficient to put the hay or straw under pressure enough to produce a bale. The presence of the signal 16 permits the single operator to remain at a point adjacent the lever 27 where he can manipulate it until the bale is finished, at which time he passes to the other end of the machine and applies the wires; and therefore he does not do needless traveling to and fro. The parts may well be of wood, with the hardware of metal, and the jack is easily removed for repair or substitution by pulling out the bolt 29 and lifting itsfoot 20 out of the lip 40. The pulley 33 may be mount ed in an upright or standard, such as a board across the interior of the structure indicated at 49 in Fig. 2, which standard may support the inner end of the body of the jack, while the lip 40 holds its foot reliably in place.

The foregoin description and the drawings have reference to what may be considered the preferred, or approved form of my It is to be understood that I may make such changes in construction and arrangement and combination of parts, ma-

terials, dimensions, et cetera, as may prove expedient and fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a baling press, the combination with the body structure, a plunger and a stem, and a guide for the plunger; of a jack mounted within the body and including a ratchet bar and an operating handle for projecting the same, a head at the outer end of said bar, anda clip secured to the inner end of the stem and detachably en gaging said head.

2. In a baling press, the combination with the body structure, the plunger and the stem, and a guide for the plunger; of a jack mountedwithin the body and including a ratchet bar and an operating handle for projecting the same, connections between the outer end of said ratchet bar and the inner end of the stem, a pawl engaging said ratchet bar, trip mechanism for said pawl, a lever connected with said mechanism, and

a foot on the plunger for actuating the lever at an appropriate time.

3. In a baling press, the combination with the body structure, the plunger and the stem, and a guide for the plunger; of a jack mounted within the body and including a ratchet bar adapted to be connected with said stem, a manually operable handle, a pawl for holding said ratchet bar projected, and automatic means for tripping said pawl to release the ratchet bar when the latter is projected to its limit.

l. In a baling press, the combination with the body structure, the plunger and the stem, and a guide for the plunger; of manually operable means for moving the plunger through its guide, a trip for releasing said operating means, a spring connected at one end with the body structure, and a rope connected with the other end of the spring and'leading to said stem for retracting the stem and plunger when the trip is actuated.

5. In a baling press, the combination with the body structure including a bottom, slotted sides, and an end piece, and the plunger movable within said structure and having a stem; of a plate resting against said end piece, a lip next said plate, a lifting jack having a base removably engaged by said lip, a cross piece between the sides and over the bottom for supporting the remote end of said jack, the ratchet bar of'the jack being connected with said plimger, a trip for said ratchet bar, and retracting mechanism connecting the plunger with the bottom of the framework.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HARRY H. RODGERS.

\Vitnesses:

ELsA Sorrarnnno'r'rnn, R. E. CooKRnLL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

